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Tuesday, 17 November 2015

The Wit and Wisdom of Admiral “Jacky” Fisher

Fisher in 1902 - cartoon by "Spy"

Few men can have had a greater influence on naval warfare
than John Fisher (1841 – 1920), later Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher.
This formidable figure, a human whirlwind, was responsible for building HMS Dreadnought, thereby “making every other
battleship afloat obsolete overnight” and for reorganising the Royal Navy in
the years before World War 1. He did this in the teeth of strong internal
opposition but he brought to the process keen strategic insights as to its
composition and disposition. Had his career ended in 1911 at the end of his appointment
as First Sea Lord, the professional head of the Royal Navy his reputation would
have been greater still. It was unfortunate that, at the age of 73, he was
reappointed to this same position in 1914. Well past his best, he held it, in
increasing rancour with his political opposite number, Winston Churchill, until
he resigned in connection with the catastrophe that had developed in the Dardanelles
operation against Turkey.

The fascination of Fisher’s career is that he entered a navy
of wooden ships and smoothbore cannon, commanded by veterans of the Napoleonic
era, but he went on to create a steel navy that employed big guns, torpedoes,
radio, submarines and aircraft. His nomination to the Navy, at the age of 13,
was by Admiral Sir William Parker (1781 – 1866), the last survivor of Nelson’s
captains. Readers of The Dawlish Chronicles will find several references to
Fisher, including Nicholas Dawlish’s first meeting with him at the Storming of the
Taku forts in China in 1859).

The paddle dispatch vessel HMS Coromandel in the Far EastShe was Fisher's first command,, a temporary one - and he was just 19 years old

My Treasured Copy

This article is not an account of Fisher’s life, but deals rather with Fisher’s “Memories” – note,
not “Memoirs” – which he wrote in the year before his death. I found a copy in
a second-hand bookshop some 40 years ago and I’ve been dipping into it since as
it is not only of great historical interest but is vastly entertaining to boot.
It can be best described as a “brain-dump”, with reminiscences, statements of
opinion, proverbs, aphorisms. trivialities, obsessions and much else all mixed up in no particular order.
I haven’t encountered any comparable book ever. One suspects that much of the veracity
has be treated – Fisher’s memory was perhaps failing even if his energy and
vehemence remained undiminished. Few other eminent figures can have referred in
a published book to “Some venomous reptile (his name has disappeared - I tried
in vain to get hold of it)”, or to human “limpets, parasites, sycophants, and
jellyfish”, even if they would have liked to have done so.

What follows are direct quotes. I’ve concentrated on Fisher’s
opinions (in some cases obsessions) and may return in a future blog to his accounts
of key events. The preface gives a foretaste, and Fisher’s full use of fonts available
merits it being shown in a direct scan.

Fisher mentions at the
beginning of the book that he started work on 7th September 1919.

“My reluctance to this book being published before my death
is increasingly definite; but I have put my hand to the plough, because of the
overbearing argument that I cannot resist, that I shall be helping to:

(a)Avoid national bankruptcy.

(b)Avert the insanity and wickedness of building a Navy
against the United States.

(c)Establish a union with America, as advocated by John
Bright and Mr. Roosevelt.

(d)Enable the United States and British Navies to
say to all other Navies "If you build more, we will fight you, here and
now. We’ll 'Copenhagen' you*, without remorse."

This is why I have consented, with such extreme reluctance,
to write letters to The Times and dictate six articles; and having thus entered
into the fight, I follow the advice of Polonius - Vestigia nulla retrorsum (We Do Not Retreat). And so,
today, I will begin this book – not an autobiography, but a collection of
memories of a lifelong war against limpets, parasites, sycophants, and jellyfish
- at one time there were 19 and ½ millions sterling of 'em'. At times they
stung ; but that only made me more relentless, ruthless and remorseless.”

(* by “Copenhagening”
Fisher meant launching a pre-emptive strike, if necessarily without declaration of
war, as the Japanese did at Port Arthur in 1904. One story is that he proposed
doing this in peacetime to the eliminate the German Navy to King Edward VII who, not surprisingly, told
him “Fisher – You’re Mad!” – Antoine Vanner)

Fisher was proud of
being emphatic in manner. Even King Edward VII did not escape:

The man who reads this in his arm-chair in the Athenaum Club
would take it all quite differently if I could walk up and down in front of him
and shake my fist in his face.

(It was a lovely episode this recalls to my mind. King
Edward- God bless him! – said to me once in one of my moments of wild
enthusiasm: “Would you kindly Ieave off shaking your fist in my face?”)

I tried once, so as to make the dead print more lifelike, using
different kinds of type-big Roman block letters for the "fist-shaking,"
large italics for the cajoling, small italics for the facts, and ordinary print
for the fool. The printer's price was ruinous, and the effect ludicrous. But I
made this compromise and he agreed to it -whenever the following words occurred
they were to be printed in large capitals: "Fool," “Ass”, “Congenital
idiot.”

Myself, I don't know that I am singular, but I seldom read a
book. I look at the pages as you look at a picture, and grasp it that way. Of
course, I know what the skunks will say when they read this -"Didn't I
tell you he was superficial ? And here he is judged out of his own mouth.”

Fisher as First Sea Lord 1904-1910

One particular
Chapter heading is irresistible:

Chapter VII

A JEU D’ESPIRIT

BOWS AND ARROWS – SNAILS AND TORTISES –

FACILE DUPES AND SERVILE COPYISTS

An entire chapter,
entitled “THINGS THAT PLEASE ME” is a
mixture of insights of genius, common sense, obsessions, trivialities and just about anything
that came into Fisher's head. Here’s a section, separated as he listed them.

BUSINESS – CaIl on a Business man in Business hours only on
Business. Transact your Business and go about your Business, in order to give
him time to finish his business, and you time to mind your own Business'.

[I had this printed on cards, one of which was handed to
every caller on me at the Admiralty.]

* * *

The Nelsonic Attributes –

(a)Self Reliance.

(b)Power of Initiative.

(c)Fearlessness of Responsibility.

(d)Fertility of Resource.

* * *

Originality never yet led to Preferment.

* * *

Mediocrity is the Road to Honour.

* * *

No difficulty baffies great zeal.

* * *

The Pavement of Life is strewn with Orange Peel.

* * *

Inconsistency is the bugbear of Silly Asses.

* * *

Never Deny: Never Explain : Never Apologise.

* * *

The Best Scale for an experiment is 12 inches to a foot.

* * *

Dean Swift satirized the vulgar exclusiveness of those who
desired the infinite meadows of Heaven only to be frequented by the religious
sect they adorned on earth:

“We are God’s
chosen few!

All others will be
damned!

There is no place
in Heaven for you,

We can’t have
Heaven crammed!”

* * *

Dread Nought
is over 80 times in the Bible (“Fear Not”) so I took as my motto “Fear God and
Dreadnought!”

* * *

If as is often said, Genius
and Madness are not far apart , then Fisher was a splendid example!

--------------------------------

I’m flattered to have been asked to be a speaker at the
Weymouth Leviathan Maritime Literary Festival in March next year. I’ll also be
running a workshop on plot-development for aspiring writers. I'll be delighted
to be able to meet fans who can attend and to discuss with them my books and my approach to research and
writing, It promises to be a fascinating occasion. I'll be providing updates as
details are firmed up but on the meantime, if you're in the UK in 12th-13th
March period next year please consider reserving a slot in your diary.

1 comment:

Fisher's greatness and insight is demonstrated in his understanding of the Anglo American alliance, necessary forever. I jokingly call in it the Anglo American Mutual Admiration Society. The greatest threat to world peace is the US without the UK.

About Me

My "Dawlish Chronicles" are set in the late 19th Century and reflect my deep interest in the politics, attitudes and technology of the period. The fifth novel in the series, “Britannia’s Amazon” is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats. It follows the four earlier Dawlish Chronicles, "Britannia's Wolf", "Britannia's Reach”, "Britannia's Shark" and "Britannia's Spartan". Click on the book covers below to learn more or to purchase.
I’ve had an adventurous career in the international energy industry and am proud of having worked in every continent except Antarctica. History is a driving passion in my life and I have travelled widely to visit sites of historical significance, many insights gained in this way being reflected in my writing. I welcome contact on Facebook and via this Blog. My website is www.dawlishchronicles.com and its “Conflict” section has a large number of articles on topics from the mid-18th Century to the early 20th Century.